Chloé names Laurent Malecaze as President and CEO as Bellini stands down

Chloé has named Laurent Malecaze as President and CEO, after incumbent Riccardo Bellini announced he was standing down after four years in the role.

The Richemont-owned luxury house said Bellini's decision was made in full collaboration with the Group "to allow a proper completion of his mission and a smooth onboarding of a new Creative Director".

Bellini's decision comes after former creative director Gabriela Hearst announced her departure in June; her final collection was presented at Paris Fashion Week in October. Chloé subsequently named Chemena Kamali, formerly of Saint Laurent, as her successor. Kamali had previously worked at Chloé during the tenure of former creative director Phoebe Philo.

Chemena Kamali of Chloe by David Sims: Courtesy

Hearst, who had been in the role for three years, had been working with Bellini on positioning Chloé as a leader in sustainable luxury. Richemont said Bellini had been instrumental in the appointment of Kamali and his "leadership was also instrumental in transforming Chloé into a purpose-driven company, as a pioneer in sustainability."

Bellini commented:“I am proud of four amazing years of business growth, transformation and successful results, the continuous elevation of the Maison and the leadership and pioneering role that Chloé plays today in sustainability.

"I am thankful to my incredible teams and to Richemont for the great support and partnership throughout. Today Chloé has the solid foundations to continue to grow bigger and stronger and I am fully confident that Chemena Kamali as new Creative Director will unlock the full potential of the Maison. I wish her and the entire Chloé team all the best future success.”

Philippe Fortunato, CEO of Richemont’s Fashion and Accessories Maisons, added:“I would like to thank Riccardo for his dedication and leadership over the last four years at Chloé. He has helped reconnect Chloé with its purpose, bringing a unique point of differentiation within the industry and laying the foundations for its next cycle of growth. It was a pleasure to work with him and I wish him success in his future projects.”

Laurent Malecaze. Courtesy.

Bellini's replacement Malecaze joins from Richemont'sdunhill where he was credited with overseeing "a successful turnaround of the business over the past two years". He previously led AZ Factory, also part of Richemont, which he started up with the late Alber Elbaz. Prior to this, he was CEO of New York-based The Webster, a luxury multi-brand retailer, after several years as a strategic consultant at Bain & Company.

Malecaze said of his appointment:“I am extremely honoured to be leading such an iconic French luxury Maison. I am thrilled to start this new chapter with the immensely talented Chemena Kamali.”

Main image: Chloe SS24 (Chloe.com)